Refrigerator



Patented Dec. 13, A1949 UNITED STATES TENT FFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in refrigerators, and more particularly to refrigerators of the air-pump circuit type.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a refrigerator of this type and of sectional construction so it may be built to any desired capacity by simply adding additional sections of refrigerant coils and receptacle supporting sections or lengthening them.

Further objects are to provide a refrigerated compartment for use in maintaining ice cream or the like in better condition than in the present commercial methods of handling; to obtain and maintain lower temperatures than with conventional hardening rooms; which will harden more portions, packaged contents, and gallons of frozen confections in less space and in far less time; which will improve the quality of ice cream or the like because of hardening it faster; which is more economical than the conventional hardening rooms; which permits more refrigerant pipe per cubic foot of space; and which will facilitate the introduction and removal of confection supports more rapidly than the ordinary hardening rooms.

Another object is to supply a refrigerator of the Wind-tunnel type which will allow defrosting Without affecting the hardness of frozen confections,

With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described in detail, i1- lustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one example of my improved refrigerator.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Before proceeding With a detailed description of the invention, I may state that I have conceived of a sectional-built, mechanical refrigerated compartment enclosure for quick-freezing and handling of ice cream in packages, and other packages of food to be quickly frozen by cold forced air circulation. The refrigerator is more or less portable, constructed of cork-insulated prefabricated wall, floor and ceiling sections. The refrigerant coils are so arranged with reference to the food compartment that the coils may be defrosted and dried with outside air circulation or Water, thereby avoiding the necessity of removal of food trays to prevent thawing of food during the defrosting operation.

Each food tray compartment or rack section is constructed of horizontal angle iron so that the capacity may be increased by the addition of longer sections or more sections placed side by side.

At at least one end of each food tray compartment or rack section, individual small doors are provided for each individual run of food tray conveyor track, and each section is also provided with one or more larger doors that cover the inner series of doors.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a refrigerator comprising opposite side sections 6, a loft section l, and one or more intermediate rack sections 8, all detachably connected together to facilitate building the structure up to any desired capacity.

As may be seen from Fig. 3, each side section 6 preferably comprises a casing or housing 9 lined at the top, side, and bottom with insulation, indicated at I0, II and I2. As shown in Fig. 4, such casing is also lined at the front and rear ends of the refrigerator With insulation I3, I4. The insulation is so arranged in each side section as to provide a vertical recess or passageway I5 for the circulation of air or the like, as will be hereinafter explained.

The refrigerator is also provided with a cen-J tral insulated bottom I6 on which the rack sections 8 rest, land as shown in Fig. 3, each rack section consists of a horizontally disposed bottom frame II, and a similarly disposed top frame I8, rigidly connected by vertical posts I9. The posts in turn rigidly support spaced horizontal tracks 2B, preferably of angle iron and extending from the front of the refrigerator to the insulated rear wall 2l thereof, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The tracks are designed to slidably support trays or tray cars of the type disclosed in my application Serial No. 715,019, filed December 9, 1946.

As best shown in Fig. l, each rack section is provided with a small hinged door 22, correspending to each pair of tracks, so that a door allowing access to any pair of tracks may be opened or closed without opening the door corresponding to any other pair of tracks. This facilitates the introduction or removal of trays or trucks of frozen confections onto or off any pair of tracks Without permitting outside air to interfere with conditions within the refrigerator.

Each rack section is provided at its front and intermediate its top and bottom with a horizontal support 23 to which is pivoted upper and lower large doors 24, 25 designed to close the space in front of a series of the small doors 22. In practice, the large doors will be provided with gaskets to cooperate with the fronts of the rack sections to seal the joints. Each large door is provided with any suitable latch or lock 26 to permit the opening or closing of any one of the large doors Without interference With the otherdoors 24, 25.

An insulated ceiling 21 is arranged Within the refrigerator between the rack sections 8 and theloft section 1, and an insulated roof 28 ispro.- vided for the loft section. Sectional refrigerant coils are arranged in the loft, and each section preferably consists of a pair of vertical headers;

ing through the spacesbetween the tubes will beforced tomove in undulating paths.

As-shown-in Figs. 1 and2each-,ofthe headers Sds connected-.to inlet and outlet branches32, 3 3

and the branchesSZV are connected toa common horizontal header 3e, while the branches 33 are connected toav common header 35., The inlet header-34. is provided with a control: valve 3.6 toV out oft therefrigerant from the coils when it;

becomesnecessary to defrost the refrigerator.V

For-air. circulating purposes, one of. theside sections 6 is provided externally with shelfi meansl:

for thesupport of electric motors 3,8 or the like.

Each, motor, by meansof a transmissionk belt 3 9' or; its. equivalent, drives a; Wheel Mlarranged; at. As shownl inY the exteriorV ofthe refrigerator. Eig; 3, each wheelY is xedly mounted on.a hori zontal shaft 4|, journaled in a bearingV 42, supported by oneof the side Walls of the refrigerator.

Each, sha-ft drives a fan or propeller lf34 which4 functions to draw warmair through. the spaces between the tubes Sir of theA refrigerant sections,

force-the. cold air downwardly throughA one of, theV passageways. l 5;.andcross-\vise,throughtheispaces inthe-rack sections 8 and then upwardly'through the; othen-passageway i5, into the loft.

ForYS defrosting purposes, hinged doors 4A are,

mounted on ledges 45 within the side sections of. the.-refrigerator,y and theyfcooperatef with the; ceiling. 21' tolsegregatetheloft from the passageways i5. The doors may be; operated by any suitable` means notshown, and'when they are intheopen position illustrated in Fig. 3, they converge; upwardly ta facilitate guidanceof the air from one passageway |5- through the loft and into, the opposite passageway t5.

During4 defrosting, it is advisable tol admit air tothe loft,v and this may; be; accomplished* in any suitable, way.. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, a, doorway. 4E. mayV be arranged in the front; wall of the refrigerator andy may be provided with a door 4J.

It. will be understood from the,V above that my arrangement provides the exposure of ten (for example) smallr doors Z2, by opening just one large outside door 2,4.,V 2.5 therebysavingrefrigeration.

Thistype, of refrigerator` or quick-freeze cabi'- net, can be rapidly andeconomically installed or removed and re-installedwithout dama-ge and Withoutbecoming apart of the housing' or building structurel wherein located. It. wouldI help overcome the objection to the use of rented buildings for freezing and manufacturing purposes. It saves refrigeration through the use of many small food or conveyor trays, instead of large ones, such as hand trucks, because the food packages can be placed on trays or conveyors that enable the quick and easy transfer of packages from warm trays to cold trays, avoiding the warming and cooling of said trays. As the kind of, traysfcontaining food constitutes a sizable portionof the refrigeration load, my construction facilitates the handling of such load.

The construction is such as to enable the operator to load and unload the food compartment without going inside where the temperature may range from: zero to minus sixty below zero Fahrenheit. Furthermore, it saves valuable iioor space in plants manufacturing ice cream or the lik,e.asit refrigerates the contents of more packages per hour in far less space. It places the entire-operation, of hardening ice creamv oneconomical conveyors.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the con,- struction, uses and advantages of the inventionwill be readily understood, and I amawarei that changes may be made in the details,l disclosed Without departing from the spirit ofv the,

invention, as expressed inthe following claims. What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

i., A refrigerator of sectional construction comprising opposite side sections, each including a relatively narrow upright casing having anouter cal planes, and the said side, front, rear, top

and bottom walls of the casings being lined with, insulation, a second casing disposed intermediate the said side sections and including bottom, rear,

top anda partial front, Wall with the casing,

opening at its opposite sides thereof into said casings of the side sections, the said loottomrearL and, topY wall of said intermediate casing being lined with. insulationy at; least one food-support,- ing rack section disposedwithin the intermediate casing and supported on the insulation on the bottom Wallv thereof, said rack section.` provided with superposed pairs. of horizontal tracks, verl-.l tical passageways in said side sectionscommunicating With said intermediate casing, a layer of insulation supported within said interniediateY casing substantially below. and parallel with the insulation on the top Wall of the intermediate casing and. said layer of insulation resting Qn said ravi; section, the space between saidl layer of insulation and the top Wall'` insulation in the intermediate casing providing a loft communieating with the said vertical, passageways in the side sections, refrigerating meansA disposed; in the loft, and means. for causing air to circulate through the loft, passageways and rack section within the intermediate casing.

2j., A refrigerator as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for causing air to circulate comprisese. prime mover mounted on one of the side sections externally thereof, a shaft` driven by said prime mover and journaled in a bearing supported by the side Wall of said side section, andv a fanl driven by said shaft and arranged in the loft.

3. A refrigerator as, claimedl in claim 1, inr

diate casing and the front end of the rack section is closed by a series of small doors, there being one door for each pair of tracks, and a larger door hingedly connected to that end of the rack section and forming an outer door ar- .ranged outwardly of and covering the small doors.

4. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, in which the front end of the rack section is closed by a series of small doors, there being one door for each pair of tracks, and upper and lower large doors hingedly connected to the front end of the rack section and forming outer closures for the rack section outwardly of the small doors.

5. A refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, in which the refrigerating means comprises coils arranged in sections, each section comprising vertical headers arranged respectively at the front and rear Walls of the intermediate casing, and spaced tubes connecting the headers of each refrigerating section.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 20 2,218,632 Baird Oct. 22, 1940 2,237,256 Finnegan Apr. 1, 1942 2,382,084 Mathews Aug. 14, 1945 

